Mercury Insurance Warns AI Voice Cloning Is Making Impersonation Scams Harder to Spot

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- A frantic phone call from a child, spouse or parent asking for money can trigger an immediate instinct to help. But with artificial intelligence making it easier for criminals to imitate a person's voice, consumers may need to stop and verify who is really on the other end of the line.

With October being CyberSecurity Awareness Month, Mercury Insurance (NYSE/NYSE TX: MCY) is encouraging consumers to recognize the growing threat of AI-powered impersonation scams and take simple steps to protect themselves and their families. According to the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, more than 22,000 complaints involving artificial intelligence resulted in nearly $893 million in reported losses. The FBI has identified voice cloning and other forms of AI-generated content among the tools criminals are using to make scams more convincing.

"Scammers have always relied on urgency and emotion, but AI can make those tactics much more believable," said Dustin Howard, Head of Information Security at Mercury Insurance. "Hearing what sounds like the voice of someone you love can cause you to react before you have time to question what you're hearing. That feeling is exactly what the scammer is counting on."

When a Familiar Voice May Not Be Familiar

Voice-cloning technology can create realistic speech using samples of a person's voice. Audio publicly available through social media videos, podcasts and other online content may provide material that can be used to imitate someone.

A criminal may then call a family member while posing as a child, grandchild, spouse or other loved one and claim there has been an accident, arrest or other emergency. The caller may demand money immediately and insist that the victim not contact anyone else.

Consumers should treat those demands as warning signs, even when the voice sounds convincing.

"Your ears alone may no longer be enough to verify someone's identity," Howard said. "Families should have another way to confirm that the person calling is really who they claim to be."

Create a Family Verification Plan

Mercury recommends families discuss impersonation scams before one happens and establish a simple verification process.

Create a family safe word or phrase. Choose something family members can use to verify their identity during an unexpected or suspicious call. Avoid information that could easily be found online.

Hang up and call back. Contact the family member directly using a phone number you already know rather than a number provided by the caller.

Turn on video: if possible, use video calling by using Facetime or other technologies that allow video calling. Look for choppy video, blurred edges, unnatural blending, and even disappearing body parts in the video. If they refuse to or cannot turn on video, that should be suspicious.

Ask a personal question. If circumstances allow, ask something the real person should know but that would not be readily available through social media or public information.

Don't trust caller ID. Phone numbers and caller names can be spoofed, so a familiar number appearing on the screen should not be considered proof of identity.

Slow down urgent requests. Be especially cautious when someone demands immediate payment through wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards or other difficult-to-reverse methods.

Limit publicly available personal information. Review privacy settings and consider how much personal information, including audio and video, is publicly accessible through social media accounts.

Verify before sending money. Never transfer money or provide financial information solely because of an incoming phone call, text message or video. Never send money to contact information, like email or phone number, you don't already know for that loved one.

Make "Stop, Verify, Then Act" a Family Rule

Impersonation scams are effective because they create pressure to act quickly. Families can reduce that advantage by agreeing in advance that unexpected requests for money or sensitive information will always be independently verified.

"Taking an extra minute to make another phone call can make all the difference," Howard said. "If someone tells you there's an emergency and you can't hang up, can't contact anyone else or have to send money immediately, that's a reason to become more cautious, not less. The more urgent the request is, the more suspicious it should be."

Consumers who believe they have been targeted should contact their financial institution immediately if money or account information was provided, change potentially compromised passwords and report suspected fraud to appropriate authorities.

Mercury customers may also have access to protections designed to help address certain cyber-related risks. Mercury's Home Cyber Protection coverage can provide protection for eligible losses involving online fraud, cyber extortion and other covered cyber events. Identity Management Services can also help when identity-related fraud occurs. Consumers should speak with their insurance agent to understand available coverage, limits and exclusions.

"Technology will continue to change, and scams will change with it, getting more and more complex every day," Howard said. "The best defense is having a Family Verification Plan and using this plan in your family's routine. Trust but verify; trust the person you love but verify that the person contacting you is actually them. Stop, verify, THEN act."

For information about cybersecurity, visit the Mercury Insurance Resource Center.

About Mercury Insurance

Mercury Insurance (NYSE/NYSE TX: MCY) is a multiple-line insurance carrier predominantly offering personal auto, homeowners, renters and commercial insurance through a network of independent agents in Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, Texas and Virginia, as well as auto insurance in Florida. Mercury writes other lines of insurance in various states, including commercial, business owners and business auto, landlord, home-sharing, ride-hailing and mechanical protection insurance.

Since 1962, Mercury has provided customers with tremendous value for their insurance dollar by pairing ultra-competitive rates with excellent customer service, through more than 4,200 employees and a network of more than 6,340 independent agents in 11 states. Mercury has earned an "A" rating from A.M. Best, as well as "Best Auto Insurance Company" designations from Forbes and Insure.com. For more information visit www.MercuryInsurance.com or follow the company on LinkedIn, Instagram or Facebook.

Media interested in receiving updates from Mercury can learn more at the Mercury Newsroom.

SOURCE Mercury Insurance

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ORLANDO, Fla., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- D3Energy, a U.S. floating solar developer and EPC contractor, announced the successful deployment of its floating photovoltaic system at Universal Epic Universe.

The 1.4 MW floating solar system was energized earlier this year and now operates as part of the new theme park's broader renewable energy program. It is one of three on-site solar installations totaling 3.7 MW across Epic Universe. The overall solar program was managed by Qcells, with D3Energy responsible for the floating solar portion.

According to Universal, the three solar installations are expected to generate more than 6.7 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power more than 900 homes. Epic Universe becomes the first theme park to achieve LEED Platinum certification under LEED for Communities: Plan and Design.

The floating solar system creates a compelling link between renewable energy generation, battery storage and electric transportation. The array generates power for the park's electric bus fleet, with energy stored in batteries during the day and used to charge Universal's electric buses at night, demonstrating how multiple clean-energy technologies can work together to form a comprehensive energy strategy.

This marks D3Energy's second floating solar project for Universal Orlando Resort, following a system completed at Universal's main Orlando campus in 2021. Both projects utilize Ciel & Terre's Hydrelio® technology, bringing the same proven platform to two Universal Orlando campuses.

"We're proud to continue our relationship with Universal Orlando through a second floating solar project," said Stetson Tchividjian, Managing Director of D3Energy. "Universal continues to lead the way in sustainability across the theme park industry, and it's exciting to see floating solar integrated into one of the most innovative destinations in the world."

"We also appreciate Qcells' leadership in managing the overall solar program and the opportunity to deliver the floating solar component alongside their team," Tchividjian added.

The Epic Universe project highlights the growing role floating solar can play in maximizing existing infrastructure and expanding renewable energy generation without requiring additional land. For D3Energy, it represents another high-profile application of floating solar at a major U.S. destination and demonstrates the continued adoption of the technology nationwide.

About D3Energy

D3Energy is a U.S. leader in floating photovoltaics (FPV), having built more than half of all systems operating in the United States. Working exclusively in FPV, D3Energy partners with utilities, municipalities, and private enterprises to bring solar online without consuming land. Visit www.d3energy.com.

Media Inquiries:

[email protected]

SOURCE D3Energy

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Milestone marks 20 years of conservation efforts to recover one of North America's most endangered mammals

SAN DIEGO, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has helped establish a third reintroduced population of endangered Pacific pocket mice at North San Mateo, a training area within Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton.

The milestone comes as San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance celebrates 20 years of conservation efforts to recover Pacific pocket mice in Southern California. Since launching its Pacific Pocket Mouse Conservation Program in 2006, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance has released more than 500 Pacific pocket mice into new and existing populations throughout the species' native range.

"Establishing this new population of Pacific pocket mice at Camp Pendleton is an exciting step toward the species' recovery," said Debra Shier, Ph.D., Brown Endowed Associate Director of Recovery Ecology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. "Pacific pocket mice are ecosystem engineers, and their impact goes far beyond their small size. By digging their burrows, they help improve soil hydrology and nutrient cycling, while their burrows provide shelter for other species. Establishing another population helps bring these important ecological functions back to the coastal ecosystems where Pacific pocket mice naturally occur."

The Pacific pocket mouse is the smallest and one of the most endangered mammals in North America, measuring about the size of a human thumb and weighing approximately as much as three pennies. Once thought to be extinct, the species was rediscovered in 1993 when a small remnant population was found in Orange County. Following its rediscovery and emergency listing under the federal Endangered Species Act, conservationists began working to prevent the Pacific pocket mouse from disappearing again. Today, only three original populations persist in the wild, and the species remains an important part of Southern California's coastal ecosystems.

In 2006, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance launched its Pacific Pocket Mouse Conservation Program to help recover the species throughout Southern California. Since then, the program has advanced scientific understanding of Pacific pocket mice and developed conservation strategies to protect existing populations, restore habitat, and establish new ones. In 2012, the program added a conservation breeding effort to produce genetically diverse and behaviorally competent mice for release into their native habitat.

The first reintroduced population was established in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park in Orange County in 2016. A second was established at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in 2024. The new population at North San Mateo represents the third reintroduced population established through the collaborative conservation program.

The effort is part of a collaborative partnership between San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, California Department of Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey, and Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton. Together, the organizations have worked to protect and grow Pacific pocket mouse populations, restore and manage habitat, and develop the scientific knowledge needed to support the species' recovery.

PRESS ROOM:https://sandiegozoo.box.com/s/t1wor5swj9haf05z5oylcplu9c8jzrvd

Link includes:

- Photos and b-roll of the Pacific pocket mouse reintroduction

About San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, a nonprofit conservation leader, inspires passion for nature and collaboration for a healthier world. The Alliance supports innovative conservation science through global partnerships and groundbreaking efforts at the world-famous San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, both leading zoological institutions and accredited botanical gardens. Through wildlife care expertise, cutting-edge science and continued collaboration, more than 44 endangered species have been reintroduced to native habitats. The Alliance reaches over 1 billion people annually through its two conservation parks and media channels in 170 countries, including San Diego Zoo Wildlife Explorers television, available in children's hospitals across 14 countries. Wildlife Allies—members, donors and guests—make success possible.

PRESS KIT:https://sandiegozoo.box.com/s/t1wor5swj9haf05z5oylcplu9c8jzrvd

SOURCE San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance

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New capability brings automated, campaign-based user access reviews to Seasoft Identity, helping mid-market organizations reduce manual review work, act on inappropriate access faster, and simplify audit preparation

GARDEN CITY, N.Y. , Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Seasoft Solutions today announced the general availability of User Access Reviews (UAR) for Seasoft Identity, bringing automated access certification and remediation into a single workflow.

User access reviews are an important part of security and compliance programs, but they often become time-consuming, manual exercises. Organizations usually rely on spreadsheets, application exports, email follow-up, and separate remediation processes to determine whether employees have appropriate access and then act on what reviewers find.

Seasoft Identity User Access Reviews simplifies that process. IT or Security teams define what systems and applications need certification and who should review them. Seasoft Identity assembles the campaign from access data already in the platform, routes it to reviewers, and provides a workspace where they can evaluate access by role or system. When inappropriate access is identified, it can be remediated instantly through the platform's existing provisioning pipeline.

"Access reviews help organizations maintain control over access, without creating another manual project," said Taylor Barstow, Chief Technology Officer at Seasoft Solutions. "We built User Access Reviews around a simple idea: the people responsible for reviewing access should be able to understand what they are certifying, and when something needs to change, that change should happen in the same workflow. This gives organizations a more practical way to manage access and produce the evidence they need."

From manual certification to an integrated workflow

Traditional access certification can require IT and compliance teams to compile access information from multiple systems, organize it for individual reviewers, chase responses, interpret findings, coordinate remediation, and reconstruct evidence for auditors. Seasoft Identity brings those steps together.

With User Access Reviews, organizations can:

- Launch reviews in minutes. Campaigns are assembled using access data Seasoft Identity already holds, eliminating exports, manual data collation, and per-reviewer spreadsheets.

- Make access easier to understand. Translate technical identifiers into readable system and permission names so reviewers can make informed decisions.

- Include reviewers without Seasoft Identity accounts. Reviewers can be invited automatically when a campaign launches.

- Turn findings into access changes. Exceptions can be remediated through the existing provisioning pipeline, with outcomes visible within the review.

- Build audit-ready evidence as work happens. Capture attestations, findings, resolutions, remediation activity, and audit records as part of the workflow.

- Give auditors read-only visibility. Share completed or in-progress reviews with auditors without granting change rights.

- Measure remediation time. Each exception carries a timing history from identification through verified remediation, making the window between finding inappropriate access and removing it measurable.

User Access Reviews can be configured around different governance models, including team-based or system-based campaigns and suggestion-only or direct-editing workflows. The platform also uses a point-in-time access snapshot to anchor a campaign to a defined set of access facts while the review is underway.

Making more frequent access reviews practical

Access certification is commonly performed on a recurring schedule, particularly when organizations need to demonstrate compliance with requirements such as SOC 2, SOX, HIPAA, or PCI. But when each review requires significant manual coordination, expanding review coverage or increasing review frequency can be difficult.

By reducing the operational work required to assemble, complete, remediate, and document a review, Seasoft Identity is designed to make broader and more frequent access certification more practical for organizations that may not have the resources or need for large enterprise IAM platform implementations.

"Mid-market organizations face many of the same access governance responsibilities as larger enterprises, but they often have far fewer people available to manage them," said Barstow. "User Access Reviews gives those teams a simpler way to keep access under control without turning every certification cycle into a major project."

To learn more about Seasoft Identity and User Access Reviews, visit Seasoft Identity User Access Review or contact Seasoft Solutions.

About Seasoft Solutions

Seasoft Identity delivers a complete approach to employee access management throughout the entire employee lifecycle, closing the gaps left by partial solutions. The platform gives organizations visibility and control over application access, with one-step complete access removal that mitigates the security risks associated with employee and consultant offboarding. Surveys show up to 80% admit to leaving with active passwords. Seasoft Identity makes protecting your organization from unauthorized access a full-time mission, not a part-time job. Learn more at Seasoft Solutions or experience Seasoft Identity with a free 30-day trial.

Seasoft Solutions is brought to you by the same team that created Software Engineering of America (SEA), whose products are licensed in more than 10,000 data centers worldwide, with customers that include 90% of the Fortune 500 and more than 85% of the Forbes Global 2000.

Media Contact:

Bri Gasquet

VP, Marketing

Seasoft Solutions

[email protected]

(516) 998-4660

SOURCE Seasoft Solutions

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- Travelers gain access to EF Adventures' leadership in guided, active travel, coupled with Backcountry's outdoor and gear expertise

- Collection includes hiking tour through Sedona, the Grand Canyon and Zion National Park (near Backcountry's global headquarters), and additional tour adventures across Norway, the Italian Dolomites and Patagonia (Chile and Argentina)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and SALT LAKE CITY, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- EF Adventures, a leader in active-travel and cultural immersion, and Backcountry, the online specialty retailer for outdoor gear and expertise, today announced the launch of a collection of hiking and multi-adventure tours across three continents departing in 2027. The tours in the EF Adventures x Backcountry Collection were designed by two trusted experts in travel and outdoors gear, helping adventure seekers take on extraordinary terrain across stunning landscapes and waterways, supported by the right guidance and preparation intended on delivering EPIC, memory making experiences. Visit here to learn more: https://www.efadventures.com/backcountry.

The collection starts with a tour close to Backcountry's global headquarters in Utah. American Southwest Hiking with Backcountry: Sedona, the Grand Canyon & Zion takes travelers through the red-rock canyons and high-desert trails of Backcountry's home state of Utah and the greater Southwest — the terrain the brand's Gearhead® Experts know best. From there, the collection of new tours reaches three of the world's most iconic mountain landscapes: the glaciers and fjords of western Norway, the alpine ridgelines of Italy's Dolomites, and the wind-scoured peaks of Patagonia.

Every guided tour in the collection is led by a tour director working with EF Adventures who has expertise in the local destination and the various activities involved, be it hiking, kayaking, white water rafting, etc. Tour directors go beyond logistical support, helping travelers learn about the local destination, inclusive of culture, food, environment, and about the locals living within a community. Tour directors also focus on community building within a traveling group, with the goal of turning strangers at the start of each hike into a community of lifelong friends once they summit the peak of each trail.

Tours are built around a Backcountry signature moment — a defining day on the trail or water, supported by gear selected specifically for that itinerary's conditions. Travelers are also paired with a dedicated Backcountry Gearhead, an outdoor expert who works with them one-on-one ahead of departure on gear selection, layering and packing, so they arrive prepared for the environment ahead.

"Our travelers come to EF Adventures because they want more from an active trip - incredible experiences in the outdoors, but also a deeper connection to the places, cultures and people they encounter along the way, guided by experts and local guides who bring each destination to life." said Heidi Durflinger, CEO of EF World Journeys, operator of EF Adventures. "Our partnership with Backcountry extends that experience to how travelers prepare for the adventure ahead. Confidence on the trail or on the water starts long before the trip begins, and connecting every traveler with a Gearhead who understands exactly what their adventure will need in terms of apparel or equipment gives them a new level of personalized support. Starting the collection in Utah, on Backcountry's home ground, felt like the perfect place to begin — and from there, we can't wait to help travelers explore this beautiful world."

The four tours span moderate to challenging activity levels and run from 7 to 14 days, with one departure per itinerary in 2027.

THE COLLECTION

American Southwest Hiking with Backcountry: Sedona, the Grand Canyon & Zion

7 days (9 days with the Zion National Park region extension) | Departs April 25, 2027 | Activity level: Moderate | From $6,190 USD per person, land only

The collection's anchor adventure moves through three of the American Southwest's defining landscapes. Travelers hike Sedona's red-rock formations, descend into the Grand Canyon, and finish among the sandstone walls and slot canyons of Zion National Park, with an optional two-day extension that adds the hoodoos of Bryce Canyon. It is high-desert hiking at its most dramatic — exposed, sun-drenched and, for Backcountry, home terrain.

Backcountry signature moment: A guided descent of the Bright Angel Trail into the Grand Canyon, with Backcountry hydration offerings at the trailhead, e.g., electrolytes, hydration packs, etc., and could include a professional photographer to capture the group on the trail.

Gear built into the itinerary could include Backcountry's Tahoe Sun Hoodies provided ahead of departure for sun protection in exposed desert conditions, plus an on-tour hydration solution travelers keep.

Norway Multi-Adventure with Backcountry: Bergen & the Sognefjord Region

9 days | Departs July 15, 2027 | Activity level: Intermediate | From $6,290 USD per person, land only*

A multi-sport route through western Norway's fjord country, beginning in the harbor city of Bergen and working inland through the Sognefjord region. Travelers move between hiking, glacier travel and paddling across changing coastal and alpine conditions — the kind of itinerary where layering decisions matter as much as fitness.

Backcountry signature moment: A guided hike on the Nigardsbreen glacier, followed by kayaking the narrow, UNESCO-listed waters of the Nærøyfjord.

Gear built into the itinerary could include Backcountry's Peale insulated jackets and co-branded dry bags, plus crampons selected for the glacier terrain travelers take on.

Italy Hiking with Backcountry: The Dolomites

11 days | Departs August 21, 2027 | Activity level: Intermediate | From $ 7,150 USD per person, land only*

Eleven days in the limestone towers of northern Italy, a range with as much mountaineering heritage as it has hiking. Travelers work through high alpine meadows and ridgeline trails between mountain villages, with a visit to the Messner Mountain Museum — founded by the first climber to summit Everest without supplemental oxygen — connecting the terrain to the climbing history that shaped it.

Backcountry signature moment: A full-day hike along the Seceda ridgeline, with a photographer accompanying the group across one of the most recognizable skylines in the Alps.

Gear built into the itinerary could include Backcountry's Waas LT Down Vests, an insulated layer built for the swings between valley warmth and exposed alpine cold.

Chile & Argentina Hiking with Backcountry: Patagonia

14 days | Departs November 4, 2027 |Activity level: Challenging | From $$11,290 USD per person, land only*

The collection's most demanding itinerary and its bucket-list departure. Two weeks of hiking across the Chilean and Argentine sides of Patagonia, through the granite spires of Torres del Paine and out onto the Southern Patagonian Ice Field. Big mileage days, remote terrain and weather that can turn several times before lunch.

Backcountry signature moment: The ascent to Mirador Las Torres for the classic view of the Torres del Paine towers, plus a mini-trek on the surface of the Perito Moreno Glacier.

Gear built into the itinerary could include Backcountry's Kanarra Rain Jackets, a shell chosen specifically for Patagonia's fast-moving wind and rain.

* Land only prices on tours include accommodations, included excursions, adventure equipment, most meals, and a tour director for the entirety of each EF Adventure. EF Adventures also makes flights (with included airport transfer), "cancel for any reason" insurance, and trip extension opportunities available for an additional fee.

A GEARHEAD FOR EVERY TRAVELER

Backcountry's Gearheads are the retailer's in-house outdoor experts — climbers, skiers, paddlers and hikers who advise customers one-on-one. In the co-branded collection, every booked traveler is introduced to a named Gearhead after booking and can reach that expert directly in the months before departure, working through a curated gear list built specifically for their itinerary's terrain and conditions.

"We've spent thirty years helping people figure out what they actually need for the conditions they're heading into, and the honest answer is that most gear questions are really trip questions," said Kevin Lenau, President at Backcountry. "These four itineraries gave us something specific to solve for, glacier travel in Norway, wind and rain in Patagonia, sun and heat in the Southwest. Our Gearheads get to work with travelers on a real adventure with a real date on it and then see them use the gear where it matters. Having the collection start in Utah, in our own backyard, makes it that much better."

TRAVELER BENEFITS

- A dedicated Backcountry Gearhead for one-on-one gear, layering and packing guidance ahead of departure

- A curated, itinerary-specific gear list built by Backcountry's outdoor experts

- Select Backcountry gear provided for use on tour, matched to each destination's terrain and conditions

- A 15% Backcountry discount and Summit Club+ access

- A co-branded welcome kit

- A full-time EF Adventures Tour Director, plus local guides, throughout the itinerary

REFER A FRIEND

Any traveler who has booked with EF Go Ahead Tours, EF Ultimate Break, or EF Adventures can now share a personal referral link via email, text, social media, or their respective EF World Journeys mobile app. Travelers receive $100 in travel credit for every friend who books using their referral, with every fifth referral earning $500. There is no limit to how many referrals can be made, and rewards never expire. Click here to learn more.

Court ordered Auction under orders of the US. Bankruptcy Court

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Forty-six homes in Philadelphia and its suburbs will be sold at online auction this month under orders of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court, with opening bids set at $25,000 or $50,000 depending on the property.

Bidding opens Tuesday, Oct. 6, and the auctions close Oct. 13 through 15. Tranzon Alderfer is conducting the sale with Tranzon Driggers, the court-approved auctioneer in the RAD Diversified REIT bankruptcy.

Most of the properties are rowhomes and other single-family houses in Philadelphia. The rest include a smaller number of multifamily buildings and several properties in Chester and Delaware counties. Nearly all are sold individually, and a few are grouped into packages.

"People hear 'bankruptcy auction' and assume it's only for big investors. It isn't," said Samantha Kelley, CEO of Tranzon Alderfer. "Most of these homes sell on their own, and at these opening bids, someone looking for their first house can bid right alongside a landlord with fifty units."

Tranzon Alderfer has been selling property in Pennsylvania since 1959, when Sanford A. Alderfer started the family auction business in Harleysville. The Alderfer family is still part of the company, which has long been a member of the national Tranzon auction network.

Under owner Thomas Saturley and Kelley, a third-generation auctioneer, the company is growing its Pennsylvania business from offices in Harleysville and Philadelphia. More and more of its work comes from bankruptcy trustees, lenders, attorneys and financial advisors in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware and Maryland.

"When a court is overseeing a sale, everything has to be done right and, on the record, and usually it has to be done fast," Kelley said. "That's the work we want to be known for in this region."

Auction at a glance:

- 46 properties in Philadelphia, Chester and Delaware counties

- Single-family homes and multifamily buildings

- Opening bids of $25,000 or $50,000, depending on the property

- Online bidding opens Oct. 6; auctions close Oct. 13–15

- 10% buyer's premium

Closing times vary by property. Property details, auction terms and bidding instructions are at www.tranzon.com/pennsylvania.

All properties are sold as-is, where-is, with all faults, and without warranties of any kind. Each sale is conducted under Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings pending in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Florida, Case No. 8:26-bk-01636-CPM, In re: RAD Diversified REIT, Inc., et al., and is subject to approval by that Court. Secured lenders may participate in the auctions through credit bidding. Property information is believed to be accurate but is not guaranteed. Prospective bidders should consult the official auction materials and terms of sale and are responsible for conducting their own independent due diligence before bidding, including verification of property condition, zoning, title, and any municipal liens or violations. The buyer is responsible for all outstanding real estate taxes. A 10% buyer's premium applies. In the event of any conflict between this release and the official auction terms, the auction terms govern.

Tranzon Alderfer, Lic. Real Estate Broker. Sanford L Alderfer, PA Auction Lic# AU-001980-L & RM422401. Tranzon Driggers, Lic. Real Estate Broker.

Equal Housing Opportunity

Media Contact

Merideth Fanning Gilmor, Modern Global Communications • 917.860.5792 • [email protected]

About Tranzon Alderfer

Founded in Harleysville in 1959 by Sanford A. Alderfer, Tranzon Alderfer is a Pennsylvania auction and real estate firm and a longtime member of the national Tranzon network. The company handles auctions of real estate and business assets, including bankruptcy, court-ordered and portfolio sales, and is led by CEO Samantha Kelley from offices in Harleysville and Philadelphia.

SOURCE Tranzon Driggers

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ConductorAI Secures APFIT Award to Support the Defense Intelligence Agency

Selection marks DIA's first APFIT award, as well as one of the APFIT program's first pure software solutions

SCARBOROUGH, Maine, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- ConductorAI announced today it was selected for an award through the Department of War's Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies (APFIT) program in support of the Defense Intelligence Agency.

The funding will support the deployment and scaling of ConductorAI's Conduit™ platform. Conduit is an agentic AI system that encodes complex policies, tradecraft, and institutional expertise into intelligent decision workflows, enabling analysts and operators to complete document approvals in minutes rather than months. Its agentic search and orchestration capabilities allow organizations to process millions of pages of structured and unstructured data – Office documents, images, video, and more – and encode complex approval logic into repeatable, auditable AI-powered decision trees. The result is a measurable acceleration in high-stakes processes: partner information sharing, e-discovery and investigations, ITAR and export control compliance, security classification, and foreign military sales, among others.

"We are deeply grateful to the Defense Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering for their commitment to putting transformative AI capabilities into the hands of the analysts and operators who need them most," said Zachary Long, co-founder and CEO of ConductorAI. "This recognition reflects what we hear every day from mission partners: the bottleneck in national security isn't access to information – it's the speed at which organizations can act on it. Conduit is solving that problem."

By reducing time in critical review and approval processes, the capability is intended to help DIA move relevant intelligence and decisions to operators, planners, and mission partners faster. The Defense Intelligence Agency has made accelerating artificial intelligence for the DoW community a defining priority, standing up its Digital Modernization Accelerator as an organization to centralize AI expertise and speed capability delivery across the enterprise. That effort aligns with Executive Order 14179's directive to sustain America's global AI dominance. It also advances the 2026 National Defense Strategy's priority to increase burden-sharing with U.S. allies and partners, which depends on getting properly vetted intelligence into partner hands at the speed of relevance.

The Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research and Engineering has designated Applied Artificial Intelligence (AAI) as a critical technology area, with a mandate to transform the Department of War into an "AI-First" organization in alignment with the White House AI Action Plan, fundamentally reshaping decision-making and operational efficiency across the force.

About ConductorAI

ConductorAI provides AI-powered decision infrastructure for defense, intelligence, and government customers. Its flagship Conduit™ platform distills complex policies and expert tradecraft into agentic workflows that accelerate document review, approvals, and compliance at mission speed. Conduit is FedRAMP High authorized and deployed at every classification level. ConductorAI is headquartered in Maine, with offices in New York City and Arlington, and is proudly made in the USA.

SOURCE ConductorAI

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Strategic Acquisition Enhances Pharmacy Diversification into Underserved Market, Supporting the Launch of New High-Value, High Margin Healthcare Services for Regional Providers and Patients

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- NextPlat Corp (NASDAQ: NXPL) ("NextPlat" or the "Company"), a global consumer products and services company providing healthcare and technology solutions through e-commerce and retail channels worldwide, today announced that it has completed the previously announced strategic acquisition of an independent pharmacy ("the Pharmacy") in a rural community near Pensacola in the panhandle region of northwest Florida.

NextPlat acquired the Pharmacy and its inventory for total cash consideration of $1,485,439. For the year ended December 31, 2025, the Pharmacy generated approximately $5.6 million in sales. The Pharmacy was profitable, maintained positive working capital, and operated with a debt-free balance sheet and is expected to contribute to the continued growth and profitability in the Company's PharmcoRx healthcare segment throughout the fourth quarter.

"This acquisition synergistically expands our pharmacy footprint in Florida, adding access to the large Pensacola market and to the greater panhandle region where we have an opportunity to rapidly introduce our full array of high-value service offerings to local patients and providers," said David Phipps, CEO of NextPlat. "Our teams are quickly working to integrate this pharmacy into our growing PharmcoRx network and see a clear path to enhancing its profitability as we layer in our higher-margin contracted services for 340B, long-term care and senior living providers across a region where those offerings are largely unavailable today. Looking ahead, as we continue to grow organically, we are actively exploring additional opportunities to acquire well-established, profitable community operators that can provide us with diversification and further differentiate our business from traditional mass market retail pharmacies."

NextPlat's PharmcoRx unit currently operates five pharmacies serving patients in northern, central, and southern Florida providing full-service prescription fulfillment, medication management, high-touch, same day delivery, and integrated patient support and coordination with healthcare providers. Beyond traditional retail pharmacy services, PharmcoRx also provides higher margin contracted services including medication fulfillment, claims management and compliance reporting to 340B providers as well as to long-term care, senior living communities and government agencies.

Additional information on this transaction may be found in the Current Reports on Form 8-K that will be filed by NextPlat with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC").

For more information about NextPlat, please visit www.NextPlat.com and connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn and X.

About NextPlat Corp

NextPlat is a global consumer products and services company providing healthcare and technology solutions through e-commerce and retail channels worldwide. Through acquisitions, joint ventures, and collaborations, the Company seeks to provide access to high-quality healthcare and pharmacy services supporting patients, providers, institutions, and public-sector organizations and creating online sales channels for the sales of products to domestic and international consumers. Through its subsidiaries, NextPlat provides pharmacy and healthcare data management services and prescription fulfillment services in the United States and operates an e-commerce division offering voice, data, tracking, and IoT products and services worldwide.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this release constitute forward-looking statements. These statements include the capabilities and success of the Company's business and any of its products, services or solutions. The words "believe," "forecast," "project," "intend," "expect," "plan," "should," "would," and similar expressions and all statements, which are not historical facts, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements involve and are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including the Company's ability to successfully acquire and integrate pharmacies, and expand as intended, any of which could cause the Company to not achieve some or all of its goals or the Company's previously reported actual results, performance (financial or operating), including those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. More detailed information about the Company and the risk factors that may affect the realization of forward-looking statements is set forth in the Company's filings with the SEC, copies of which may be obtained from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. The Company assumes no, and hereby disclaims any, obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Media and Investor Contact for NextPlat Corp:

Michael Glickman

MWGCO, Inc.

917-397-2272

[email protected]

SOURCE NextPlat Corp.

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Voice4PIMD analyzes an individual's expressions, gestures, eye gaze, and other nonverbal cues—and translates them into information caregivers can understand.

NOTRE DAME, Ind., Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Haley Hilt may not speak, but her grandfather, Ed Fennell, will tell you she says plenty.

After nearly two decades caring for Haley, who has a rare neurodevelopmental disorder, Fennell recognizes the subtle gestures, expressions, and sounds that signal when she is happy, uncomfortable, tired, or simply wants something. But he also worries about the future: Who will understand those signals when the people who know her best are no longer there?

"The vast majority of nonverbal or minimally verbal people do have something to say. They're people! They have joy. They have sorrow. They have pain. They have great feelings. They just don't have the language to do it," Fennell says.

Researchers at the University of Notre Dame are exploring whether artificial intelligence can help bridge that gap.

Making nonverbal communication visible

Computer engineering scientist Jarek Nabrzyski and his team are developing Voice4PIMD, a personalized AI system designed for people with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.

Using cameras and sensors, the technology can capture facial expressions, eye gaze, body movements, heart rate, vocalizations, and other signals. Caregivers help train the system to recognize what those cues mean for a particular person, with the eventual goal of translating them into text or audio notifications.

The technology is intentionally individualized. A smile, movement, or sound may mean something entirely different from one person to another.

That personalization could eventually offer families something difficult to replicate: continuity of communication as caregivers change over a person's lifetime.

Advancing AI for an underserved population

The research is still in its early stages. Nabrzyski's team is beginning additional testing with families through LOGAN Community Resources in South Bend, Indiana, while researchers are also exploring applications for people with autism and dementia.

People with profound disabilities, he says, have historically received too little attention from research funding agencies—leaving significant questions about communication, caregiving, and quality of life unexplored.

For Notre Dame researchers, Voice4PIMD represents one possibility for what human-centered AI can accomplish when technological advances begin with the dignity and needs of the person.

Learn more about how Notre Dame is fighting for the future of nonverbal communication.

Contact: [email protected].

About the University of Notre Dame

The University of Notre Dame is a leading Catholic research university and a member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), a consortium of the nation's leading public and private research universities. The only explicitly religious institution in the AAU, Notre Dame advances research and scholarship in service to humanity, pursuing discoveries that address complex challenges, improve lives, and contribute to the common good.

SOURCE University of Notre Dame

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When Women Know Something Is Wrong, But Medicine Doesn't Listen: Dr. Sameena Rahman's New Book Examines the Bias, Culture and Silence Behind Women's Sexual Health

Brown Girls' Disease? A Guide to Sexual Health and Empowerment Through a South Asian Lens challenges patients and clinicians to rethink how women's pain, sexuality and health concerns are understood

CHICAGO, Oct. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- What happens when a woman knows something is wrong, but the medical system doesn't listen? That question is at the heart of Dr. Sameena Rahman's new book that releases today, titled, Brown Girls' Disease? A Guide to Sexual Health and Empowerment Through a South Asian Lens.

An OB-GYN, sexual medicine specialist and menopause expert, Dr. Rahman tackles the conversations that medicine has too often avoided, including painful sex, low libido, pelvic pain, persistent genital arousal disorder (PGAD), menopause, trauma, cultural expectations and the impact of bias on women's health.

The book takes its provocative title from a disturbing comment Dr. Rahman heard during her medical training. A South Asian patient was experiencing such severe pelvic pain that she could not tolerate a pelvic examination. Rather than investigating the source of her pain, an attending physician dismissed her with the phrase "brown girls disease." For Dr. Rahman, that moment represents a much larger problem: What happens when clinicians make assumptions about a patient before taking the time to understand her experience?

"Women deserve to be heard before they are labeled," said Dr. Rahman. "Too often, symptoms involving sexuality, pain and reproductive health are minimized, psychologized or dismissed. My hope is that this book encourages women to advocate for themselves and encourages clinicians to slow down, listen and examine the assumptions we may bring into the exam room."

While the book is grounded in Dr. Rahman's experience as a South Asian woman and physician, the issues extend far beyond one culture. Women across racial and cultural backgrounds have long reported having their pain minimized, their sexual concerns dismissed and their symptoms attributed to stress or psychological causes rather than investigated.

For women of color, research has also highlighted the effects of chronic exposure to racism and structural stress on reproductive aging, a phenomenon researchers refer to as "weathering." These disparities underscore why culture, social conditions and bias cannot be separated from conversations about women's health.

Dr. Rahman asks readers to reconsider some of the messages women have been given for generations: that painful sex is simply something women should tolerate, that declining libido is an inevitable part of aging, that menopause symptoms should simply be endured, or that unexplained symptoms are "all in your head."

Her answer is not to suggest that every symptom has a simple explanation, but to ask a more fundamental question: What if we listened before we made assumptions?

Sometimes the Most Important Diagnostic Tool Is Time

A central theme of Brown Girls' Disease? is the importance of listening, particularly in sexual medicine. Many of the factors necessary to understand a patient's sexual health concerns emerge through a detailed medical history and conversation. But meaningful conversations require something increasingly difficult to find in modern medicine: time.

A 15-minute appointment may not provide enough space for a patient to feel safe discussing painful sex, trauma, libido changes, pelvic pain or other deeply personal concerns.

"Sometimes the diagnosis isn't in another lab test or another scan or another prescription," said Dr. Rahman. "Sometimes it is in something the patient has not yet had the courage, safety or space to talk about."

The book challenges clinicians to consider not only what medical training has taught them, but also what it may have left out… including the cultural assumptions and biases that can influence how patients are perceived and how their symptoms are interpreted.

It also gives women language and perspective to better understand their bodies, recognize when something does not feel right and advocate for the care they deserve.

A Book for Patients — and the Clinicians Who Care for Them

Brown Girls' Disease? is ultimately a call for a more thoughtful approach to women's sexual and reproductive health. Dr. Rahman encourages patients who have felt dismissed to recognize that their concerns are worthy of being heard, while challenging clinicians to look beyond assumptions and create space for honest conversations.

The book is particularly relevant for healthcare professionals working in OB-GYN, sexual medicine, menopause care, primary care and other areas of women's health, as well as anyone seeking to better understand the intersection of culture, sexuality, medicine and bias.

"Being heard may actually be what a patient needs before we can begin to understand what is happening," said Dr. Rahman. "We have a responsibility to ask better questions, listen more carefully and recognize that the patient's experience is an essential part of the diagnosis."

Brown Girls' Disease? A Guide to Sexual Health and Empowerment Through a South Asian Lens is available at major retailer book stores including Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.

For more information, please visit www.thegsmcollective.com.

About Dr. Sameena Rahman

Dr. Sameena Rahman is an OB-GYN, sexual medicine specialist and menopause expert who is dedicated to changing the way women's sexual and reproductive health is understood and treated. She is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and founder of the GYN & Sexual Medicine Collective; a concierge women's health practice affiliated with Ms. Medicine. She is a Fellow of the International Society for the Study of Women's Sexual Health (ISSWSH), a Menopause Society Certified Practitioner, host of Gyno Girl Presents: Sex, Drugs & Hormones, and a nationally recognized expert frequently featured in media on women's health, menopause and sexual medicine.

Brown Girls' Disease? A Guide to Sexual Health and Empowerment Through a South Asian Lens

By Sameena Rahman

Lioncrest Publishing; On-Sale Date:October 6, 2026

Price: $34.99 (hardcover) / $24.99 (paperback)

ISBN-13: 978-1544550657

Media Contact:

Daphne E. Ortiz

Statement PR

323.864.9890

[email protected]

SOURCE Dr. Sameena Rahman

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